MAAC Swimming & Diving Championships Set to Begin on Wednesday

2/12/2019 6:17:21 PM

BUFFALO, NY – The 2019 MAAC Men’s and Women’s Swimming & Diving Championships return to the Burt Flickinger Center at Erie Community College (ECC) for the ninth consecutive year. The championships, which are co-hosted by Canisius College, the MAAC, and Niagara University will span three days and is set to stream live on MAAC.TV.

Championships Schedule
Session	Date	Time
I	Wednesday, February 13	6 p.m. – 9 p.m.
II	Thursday, February 14	10 a.m. – 12 p.m.
III	Thursday, February 14	6 p.m. – 9 p.m.
IV	Friday, February 15	10 a.m. – 12 p.m.
V	Friday, February 15	6 p.m. – 9 p.m.
VI	Saturday, February 16	10 a.m. – 12 p.m.
VII	Saturday, February 16	6 p.m. – 9 p.m.

On the men’s side, Rider University looks to earn its eighth-straight and ninth overall MAAC Swimming & Diving Championship. The Broncs finished out a strong regular season with a dual-meet record of 7-1 and the top team in the MAAC. For the third year in a row, Rider received nine of 10 first place votes in this year’s preseason coaches’ poll.

For the women, Fairfield is looking to repeat as the MAAC Women’s Swimming & Diving Champion. Fairfield sophomore, Sara Ostensen, returns as the defending MAAC Women’s Swimmer of the Meet. In 2018, Ostensen was also the MAAC Rookie of the Meet. The Stags were the unanimous favorite in the 2019 Preseason Coaches’ Poll to take home the MAAC Swimming & Diving Championship.

Around the MAAC:

Bryant University holds the top-three marks in the MAAC for the men’s 1-meter dive this season. In first it’s Trevor Hazlewood with a score of 491.45, then Zach Vogel (442.10) follows in second, with Evan Clark (380.80) in third. Sullivan also holds the top mark in the men’s 3-meter dive with a score of 496.70.
The Griffs’ Lucas Kennedy currently holds the top times in the MAAC for the 50-breast and 100-breast.
Fairfield’s Sara Ostensen holds the top mark in the MAAC this year in the 500-free (4:59.65), 1000-free (10:13.32), and the 1650-free (16:59.24).
The Iona College Men’s (8-2) and Women’s (9-4) combined records make for the most successful shared regular-season record in program history.
In the last meet of the 2018-19 regular season, Manhattan freshman Connor Marshall broke the program record in the 1-meter dive with a score of 237.83.
Marist women’s diver, Esabelle Gervasio, the 2018 MAAC Rookie Diver of the Meet, returns as the defending champion in the 1-meter dive. Gervasio also holds the top scores in the MAAC this season for the 1-meter and 3-meter dive.
For Monmouth, freshman Callan Smith currently leads the MAAC in the 500-free in a time of 4:32.33. On the women’s side, freshman Camryn McHugh is the MAAC leader in the 100-back (56.73) and the 100-fly (56.76).
Rider’s Justin Carey holds three top times in the MAAC, the 100-back (47.96), 200-back (1:48.16), and 100-fly (48.29). Carey returns as the defending MAAC Champion in the 100-fly and the 100-back.
For Saint Peter’s, the men finished the 2018-19 regular season with a record of 8-1 (3-0 in MAAC dual meets). The record is the best for third-year head coach Mark Kretzer.

For more information regarding the 2019 MAAC Swimming & Diving Championships please visit maacsports.com/swim and follow the conversation on social media by using #MAACSwim.

Championship tickets can be purchased at maac.ticketleap.com, and will also be sold on-site during the event.

About the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference:
With 11 institutions strongly bound by the sound principles of quality and integrity in academics and excellence in athletics, the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) is in its 38th year of competition during the 2018-19 academic year. Current Conference members include: Canisius College, Fairfield University, Iona College, Manhattan College, Marist College, Monmouth University, Niagara University, Quinnipiac University, Rider University, Saint Peter's University, and Siena College.